Record-cleaning device

ABSTRACT

THE PRESENT INVENTION PERTAINS TO A NOVEL RECORD-CLEANING DEVICE FOR CLEANING AND PROTECTING THE GROOVE IN CONVENTIONAL MUSICAL RECORDS, AS WELL AS THE PHONOGRAPH NEEDLE DURING PLAYING OF THE RECORD. MORE SPECIFICALLY, THE PRESENT DEVICE IS DIRECTED TO A CIRCULAR CONCAVE OR PAN-SHAPED MEMBER ADAPTED TO FIT ON AND ROTATE WITH A PHONOGRAPH TURNTABLE WHEREIN A RECORD IS SUBMERGED IN THE CONCAVE-SHAPED MEMBER IN AN APPROPRIATE LIQUID WHEREBY THE RECORD, AMONG OTHER ADVANTAGES, IS CLEANED DURING ITS PLAYING.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Vick C. Candella 6509 Pilgrim St.,Metalrie, La. 70003 [2l] Appl. No. 859,918 [22] Filed Sept. 22, 1969[45] Patented June 28, 1971 [54] RECORD-CLEANING DEVICE 5 Claims, 10Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl. 274/47 [Sl] Int. Cl Gllb3/58 [50] Field of Search 274/39,47;

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,938,732 5/1960Mautell,.lr. 274/47 3,005,223 10/1961 Tayloretal 3,401,708 9/1968 HenesPrimary Examiner-Leonard Forrnan Assistant Examiner-Charles E. PhillipsAttorney-Calvin J. Laiche PATENTHIJUN28I9?! 35,88,123

SHEET 1 OF 2 INVENTOR. V/CK C CA/VflE/JA PATENTEDJuuaa an INVENTOR. V/CKC CA/VflELL/l BY Odom M RECORD-CLEANING DEVICE BACKGROUND OF THEINVENTION The instant invention pertains to that field of the artconcerned with devices or apparatuses for cleaning conventionalphonograph records. 7

As is well known, conventional phonograph records will inevitably pickup dust and dirt whereby the sound emanating from the record during itssubsequent playing is distorted. It is also possible that a dirty recordwill in turn result in damage to both the needle and the record due tothe dirt building up in the groove which causes the needle to wearand/or jump the groove. By way of the present device, a phonographrecord can be readily cleaned which in turn extends the useful life ofthe phonograph needle, retards advance of distortion caused by naturalneedle damage to the record groove, reduces needle friction and allother sources of friction at the point of contact between the needle andthe record groove while concomitantly, the cleaning liquid acts as acoolant and lubricant. Thus, the wiping and brushing of records isdispensed with, as well as brushing of the needle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention basically comprises acircular concave-shaped member having a circumferential raised portionwhereby liquid can be retained within the member. The member is furtherdefined by being provided with an extended portion positioned on itsopposite side at the center thereof. Such portion is adapted to fitwithin the spindle socket of a conventional record turntable having aremovable spindle. A preferred embodiment includes a weighted memberhaving extended portions on both of its sides. The inner surface of thecircular concave-shaped member, in turn, is provided with a hole adaptedto receive the extended portion on the bottom of the weighted member.For conventional 45 r.p.m. records, the weighted member is provided withanother extended portion on its bottom which is adapted to fit withinthe enlarged spindle hole of a conventional 45 r.p.m. record. Theinterior bottom portion of the circular concave-shaped member is alsopreferably provided with a raised portion located at essentially thecenter thereof. The raised portion is of maximum thickness in themiddle, usually over that area defined by the nongrooved inner portionof a record, and tapers downwards out towards the circumferential raisedportion. This feature not only protects the bottom groove, butadditionally facilitates removal of the record since the operator cantilt the record by depressing one edge andreadily grabbing hold of it.If the bottom of the concave-shaped member was flat, then a suctionforce would be created between the record and the member which would inturn hamper removal of the record.

Another preferred embodiment includes record-lifting means comprising abase portion having an extended upright portion to pass through thespindle hole of a musical record, together with a weighted memberprovided with a hole therein adapted to receive the extended uprightportion of the recordlifting means. The bottom interior portion of theconcaveshaped member is also provided with a recessed portion locatedessentially on its center line and which is adapted to receive therecord-lifting means whereby the record positioned between the weightedmember and the record-lifting means is laterally and verticallyrestrained. The thickness of the base portion of the record-liftingmeans exceeds the depth of the recessed portion in the circularconcave-shaped member whereby the record is suspended above the interiorbottom of the latter. In this manner, liquid is allowed to residebetween the phonograph record and the bottom interior portion of theconcave-shaped member so as to achieve the results discussed supra.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. I in the drawing depicts a plan view ofthe present record-cleaning device shown in position on top of aphonograph turntable relative to the phonograph record arm.

FIG. 2 in the drawing represents a sectional view taken along the line2-2 of FIG. 1 showing a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 represents a side elevation view of the record-locating and-retaining means depicted in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 in the drawing represents a sectional view taken along the line2-2 of FIG. 1 showing the adaptation of the preferred embodiment of thepresent invention for the cleaning of 45 r.p.m. records.

FIG. 5 in the drawing represents a sectional view taken along the line2-2 of FIG. 1 showing yet another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 in the drawing represents a sectional view taken along the line2-2 of FIG. I showing the embodiment of FIG. 5 utilized in the cleaningofa 45 r.p.m. phonograph record.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of the record-lifting means shown in FIGS. 5 and6.

FIG. 8 is a side elevation view of the record-lifting means shown inFIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of the weighted member shown in section in theembodiment of FIGS. 5 and 6.

FIG. I0 is a side elevation view of the weighted member of FIG. 9.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The present record-cleaningdevice 10 comprises the circular concave-shaped member 11 which in turnis provided with the circumferential raised portion 12. The innerdiameter of the circumferential raised portion 12 is sufficient toaccommodate the largest diameter musical record disc for which thepresent device would be designed for as desired.

The circular concave-shaped member II is provided with the extendedportion 13 positioned on its bottom side and located at essentially thecenter or longitudinal axis thereof. The extension 13 is adapted to fitwithin the spindle hole of a conventional phonograph turntable having aremovable spindle. In operation, the spindle (not shown) is removed fromthe turntable 14 upon which the present cleaning device 10 is thenplaced. The extended portion or spindle extension 13 is designed to fitsnugly within the spindle hole 15 so as to prevent its lateral movementduring the rotation of the turntable 14.

The inner or interior surface of the pan-shaped member 11 is preferablyprovided with the raised or enlarged portion 16 which is located atessentially the center of the circular member 11. As shown in FIG. 2,the enlarged portion 16 tapers downward toward the outer circumferentialraised portion 12. In this manner, the liquid 19 contained within themember 11 is allowed to flow underneath the record 17 positioned withinthe pan member 11. The diameter of the enlarged portion 16 is preferablyequivalent to about that of the inner nongrooved area of a record. Thisfeature not only avoids contact with the bottom groove, but moreimportant, facilitates the easy removal of a record. This isaccomplished by the operator depressing one edge of the record 17, thustilting it for easy gripping.

As a preferred embodiment, the present recordcleaning device alsoincludes the weighted member 20. As shown in greater detail in FIG. 3,the member 20 comprises the base portion 21 which is connected to theextended upright portion 22 located on top thereof. The portion 22 inessence constitutes a handle whereby the member 20 can be readily placedin the position as shown in FIG. 2. The extended p0:- tion 23 isprovided on the bottom of the base portion 21 for positioning the member20 relative to the circular member I] which in turn is provided with thehole I8 located on the inner surface thereof. The diameter of theextended portion 23 is slightly smaller than that of the spindle holediameter of a conventional phonograph musical record, e.g. usuallyaround one-fourth inch. In operation, the record 17 is placed within thepan, lining up the spindle hole within the record with that of the hole18, and thereafter inserting the extended portion 23 through the recordinto the hole 18. The extended portion 23 is adapted to fit snuglywithin the hole 18 so as to prevent undue lateral displacement ormovement of the record 17 during its rotation and cleaning by way of thepresent device.

As a variation of the preferred embodiment of the present invention,specifically for the cleaning of 45 r.p.m. records, the weighted member20 is provided with the additional extended portion 24 also located onthe bottom thereof. The diameter of the extended portion 24 is slightlysmaller than that of the spindle hole diameter of a conventional 45r.p.m. musical record. Referring to FIG. 4, the 45 r.p.m. record 25 isfirst placed within the pan member 11. Thereafter, the extended orraised portion 24 of the member 20 is positioned within the enlargedspindle hole of the 45 r.p.m. record simultaneously while inserting theextended portion 23 within the hole 18 located in the bottom of themember 11. Thus, the specific arrangement of the weighted member 20functions similarly with either conventional A-inch spindle hole recordsor conventional 45 r.p.m. records.

Another preferred embodiment of the present record-cleaning device isthat as depicted in FIG. 5. In FIG. the panshaped member 30 is providedwith the recessed portion 3I located on the inside at essentially thecenter thereof. The record-lifting means 32 is adapted to fit within therecessed portion or section 31. Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, therecordlifting means 32 comprises the base portion 33 which is of athickness somewhat greater than the depth of the recessed portion 31whereby the record 17 is prevented from resting on the bottom of thepan-shaped member 30 for the reasons advanced above. The member 32further comprises the upright extended portion 34 which is adapted tofit within the spindle hole of a conventional phonograph musical recorddisc. In such manner, the record can be readily placed within or removedfrom the pan-shaped member 30.

The latter preferred embodiment also preferably comprises the weightedmember 35 which is provided with the hole 36 adapted to receive theextended portion 34 of the member 32. In such manner, the member 35 uponbeing placed over the extended portion 34 after the record 17 has beeninserted in place, serves to weight down and prevent any verticalmovement of the record 17 during its rotation.

As in the embodiment of FIG. 4, the embodiment of FIG. 5 is adapted toaccommodate 45 r.p.m. records in the manner shown in FIG. 6.Specifically, the member 35 is provided with the extended portion 37which is of a diameter somewhat smaller than that of the spindle holediameter of the 45 r.p.m. record 25 whereby the operating relationshipshown in FIG. 6 is realized. Thus, as in the preferred embodimentdepicted in FIGS. 2 and 4 above, the weighted member 35 serves a similardual purpose. For ease of manufacture as well as for other reasons whichwill become apparent as the discussion proceeds, the base portion 33 ofthe member 32 is preferably circular and made integral with the extendedportion 34.

In operation, referring to the preferred embodiment of FIG. 2, therecord-cleaning device is placed upon the turntable 14, the spindle ofwhich is first removed. The record 17 is then placed within thepan-shaped member 11 and pressed down into position. The concave-shapedor pan-shaped member 11 is then filled with a suitable record-cleaningmaterial, for example, water, alcohol, or the like, however, water beingpreferred for economic reasons. Of course, this procedure can bereversed. Thereafter, the weighted member is placed in position byinserting the extended portion 23 through the spindle hole of the record17 and into the hole 18 positioned in the bottom of the enlarged portion16 of the pan member 11.

The member 20 thus serves to weight down the record 17 and hold it inposition against any vertical or lateral movement. Moreover, the member20 serves to prevent the record 17 from slipping during rotation due tothe drag of the needle 40 positioned on the bottom front of thephonograph record arm 41.

The turntable is then allowed to rotate whereupon the needle 40dislodges any dirt and dust positioned within the groove of the record17. The dislodged material floats to the top or surface of the liquidlocated within the pan 11. In this manner, the record 17 is cleanedwhile it is being played with the net result that the useful life of theneedle is extended due to removal of dirt within the groove. Conversely,the life of the record is extended due to less abrasion of the groovethus extending the true fidelity of the record. This eliminates washing,wiping, or brushing the records, aswell as brushing of the needle afterplaying the record whereby the fidelity of the record is maintained inan undistorted condition over an extended length of time. The liquidfurther acts as a coolant and lubricant between the needle and therecord. As an ancillary feature, the pan member 11 when filled with aliquid can be employed to level a turntable.

It can be appreciated by one skilled in the art that various types ofmaterials can be employed in the manufacture of the present recordcleaning device. However, for ease of manufacture and serviceability,the pan member 11 is preferably fabricated from a plastic material, e.g.polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, or the like. The same materials wouldalso preferably be employed in the manufacture of the record liftingmeans 32. The weighted members 20 or 35 are preferably plastic coatedlead or other similar heavy metal.

It can also be appreciated that various modifications and changes can bemade in the design of the present member without departing from the truescope and spirit of the present invention. For example, the shape of theenlarged portion 16 of the embodiment of FIG. 2 can be varied. Moreover,a separate member or element could be substituted for the enlargedportion 16 while achieving the same results. The particular design orconfiguration of the weighted members 20 and 35 can vary, as well as therecord lifting means 32. In the embodiment of FIGS. 5 and 6, therecord-lifting means 32 could actually be square or some other shape.Moreover, various of the components could be made in a number ofseparate units, however, the integral structure shown in the drawings asdescribed above is preferred from an overall viewpoint of cost andfunctionality.

lclaim:

l. A musical record-cleaning device comprising an essentially circularconcave-shaped member having a circumferential raised portion whereby aliquid can be retained within said member, the inner diameter of theraised portion being greater than that of a record to be placed andcleaned therein, said member being further defined by being providedwith an extended portion positioned on its opposite side at essentiallythe center of said member and which is adapted to fit within the spindlesocket of a conventional record turntable, said device further includinga weighted member comprising a base portion having an extended portionon its bottom side adapted to pass through the spindle hole of themusical record, said weighted member further comprising an extendedupright portion positioned on the top of its base portion whereby saidweighted member can be readily gripped and removed; and said circularconcave-shaped member is provided with a hole located on its insidesurface and which is of a diameter and depth sufficient to receive theextended portion positioned on the bottom of the base portion of saidweighted member whereby the musical record positioned between saidcircular concave shaped member and said weighted member is laterally andvertically restrained from movement.

2. The record-cleaning device of claim 1 further characterized in thatsaid circular concave-shaped member is provided with a raised portion onits inside surface at the center thereof whereby the peripheral edge ofthe record placed therein is positioned above the outer circumferentialbottom of said concave shaped member such that an operator can tilt therecord for easy removal upon depressing an edge thereof.

3. The record cleaning device of claim 1 further characterized in thatsaid weighted member is also provided with a circumferential raisedportion along the peripheral bottom of its base portion, the raisedportion being adapted to fit within the spindle hole of a conventional45 r.p.m. musical record whereby the record is positioned essentiallyconcentric within said circular concave-shaped member.

4. A musical record-cleaning device comprising an essentially circularconcave-shaped member having a circumferential raised portion whereby aliquid can be retained within said member, the inner diameter of theraised portion being greater than that of a record to be placed andcleaned therein, said member being further defined by being providedwith an extended portion positioned on its opposite side at essentiallythe center of said member and which is adapted to fit within the spindlesocket of a conventional record turntable, said device further includingrecord-lifting means comprising a base portion having an extendedupright portion adapted to pass through the spindle hole of the musicalrecord; said record-cleaning device further including a weighted memberprovided with a hole therein adapted to receive the extended uprightportion of said record-lifting means whereby the record when positionedbetween said members is restrained from lateral and vertical movement;and said circular concave-shaped member is further defined in that itsinside surface is provided with a recessed portion positioned atessentially the center thereof and which is adapted to receive saidrecord lifting means to thereby prevent its lateral movement.

5. The record cleaning device of claim 4 further characterized in thatsaid weighted member is further defined in that its bottom portion isprovided with a circumferential raised portion along its bottomperiphery adapted to fit within the spindle hole of a conventional 45rpm musical record whereby the record is positioned essentiallyconcentric within said circular concave shaped member.

